Chapter 10
“…So I came…”
I forced my frozen tongue to move. Blake looked at me strangely, but since I had just recovered, he didn’t seem too surprised. He spoke kindly.
“You ran here as soon as you opened your eyes. You must’ve missed me a lot.”
“Lady Florence kept insisting she wanted to go back to her family since last night. She said sick people always want to see their family. As soon as she woke up, she rushed me to help her get ready…”
“Well, family is the best. Florence, I’m glad you came.”
Helen answered for me because I couldn’t find the words. I held tightly onto Blake’s clothes as he hugged me. He bent down and looked at me with concern.
His blue eyes, full of worry, looked just like mine. A strong feeling rose from deep inside me, and tears suddenly flowed down. Blake’s eyes widened, then he pulled me closer into his arms.
And gently, like comforting a child, he said:
“Why are you crying, Florence? My sweet little sister.”
“O-oppa…”
“Were you sad because you were sick? You’ve been through a lot. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for you.”
“Sniff… sob…”
I couldn’t stop crying. But I didn’t want Blake to see my crying face, so I buried it deeper into his chest. Blake gently patted my shoulders and back, comforting me without any sign of annoyance. In fact, he seemed happy that I was crying in his arms.
Blake used both hands to lift my face. I was sure I looked awful, all messy from crying, but his blue eyes were filled with warmth I had never seen before.
“Father’s waiting for you too. Are you going to see him with that crying face?”
“Sniff… no…”
“Then stop crying. Oh, Grace is coming to see you too.”
“My sister?”
“You woke up after ten days. Of course she’d run over to see you. No matter how busy she is, nothing is more important than family.”
‘Nothing is more important than family’—Blake always said that. He had always loved our father and sister. Five years ago, he added Florence, his younger sister, to that list. Blake had always cherished his family.
Why did I cry? What was so good that I cried in his arms? I wiped my tears and pushed Blake away. He looked a little disappointed, but smiled happily when he saw I had stopped crying.
“Show me a smile, Florence.”
“….”
“I’ll feel better once I see you smile.”
I forced my lips to smile. I wasn’t sure if I did it right. But Blake smiled softly and said:
“Your smile looks just like Mother’s. You’re beautiful, my sister.”
It felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on my head.
“She killed her own mother just to be born. Shameless witch.”
“Why is she still in this house? Just send her away already.”
“If she gets in my way again, I’ll ruin that pretty little face. Got it?”
I suddenly came back to reality.
Father was waiting in the drawing room.
“I said I’d go greet her, but Blake insisted on doing it himself.”
“I wanted to be the only one to see her happy face. You can welcome her like the head of the house.”
“Trying to get me to pass down the title early?”
“Of course not. I want to enjoy life more. I trust you to handle everything.”
“You brat. Sons are useless.”
Their playful talk made the atmosphere light. Father then looked at me and said, “Daughters are the best, right?” He wanted me to agree, but I wasn’t sure if he was really talking to me.
My head was a mess. I couldn’t hide how confused I felt and just said, “Uh, uh, yes,” then smiled awkwardly. Father looked at me with worry and clicked his tongue.
“That Linus said you wouldn’t suffer if you went with him.”
“I didn’t… suffer.”
“You were sick for over ten days. That’s suffering. I was so scared I might lose you.”
“Father…”
“Look how thin you’ve gotten, Blake. Tell the guards not to let Linus in even if he comes looking for Florence.”
“Leave it to me!”
Blake nodded eagerly. Father gently touched my cheek. His big hand was smaller than Blake’s but much warmer. I leaned into it like a dog rubbing its nose against its master’s hand.
“You’ve gotten clingy since you got sick, my daughter.”
He called me his daughter. That made me want to cry again.
“Careful, Father. Florence already—”
“Oppa!”
“Okay, okay. But I’m sure Father already noticed your red eyes.”
Blake playfully winked. As he said, Father wiped my tears with his thumb. More tears quickly followed. I looked down and hid my face in my hands.
Father pulled me into a hug. It was the first time I felt his embrace.
It hurt, but at the same time, it made me so happy I couldn’t stand it. This was what I had always dreamed of—being loved by my family. I would’ve sold my soul to the devil just to belong in this family.
‘I did sell my soul. That’s why the devil stole my body for five years.’
I lifted my head, feeling pathetic. The family didn’t even know that woman had switched bodies with me. If I pretended I had lost my memory, like she claimed, maybe I could keep living like this—being loved.
As long as I pretended not to know anything…
I wiped my tears and looked up. Father and I made eye contact. His warm brown eyes… I would do anything to protect that look. In front of him, I always turned into a foolish child. I couldn’t help it—I wanted to be loved. Even if this life wasn’t mine, I didn’t want to let it go.
“You just woke up yesterday, right?”
Father wiped the tears under my eyes.
“Yes…”
“You’re still not fully recovered, Florence.”
“….”
He looked away and nodded at Helen. She answered for me.
“She felt sick right after waking up and hasn’t eaten properly. She even skipped breakfast.”
“I figured. Florence.”
“…Yes…”
I thought I was going to get scolded and lowered my shoulders.
“Go rest in your room right now. We’ll bring your meal there. Blake, help her.”
“But Father…”
“Also bring our meals to Florence’s room.”
I was speechless. Father patted my head and said:
“I’m not going to leave my daughter alone when she just woke up. I need to see you eat with my own eyes to feel better. Will you eat with us?”
“….”
“Get well soon, Florence. I want to see the bright and healthy you again.”
Unlike Blake who wanted to see me smile, Father wanted to see me healthy. I could feel the difference. I covered my mouth and just nodded. My tearful eyes met his, and I was glad they were wet. If he had seen my clear eyes, he might have realized I wasn’t the same person as that woman.
They still hadn’t noticed.
